131 Weaving Threads (1/2)

I numbed myself, eliminating any thoughts about his accusation. I raised an eyebrow at Yawm. He stood up straight. He moved his hands between us, measuring our heights.

“Odd. I thought I noticed a difference for some reason. My mistake.”

I shrugged, “Eh, it happens. Sometimes I forget how much taller you are than me.”

Yawm raised his eyebrows, “I suppose I’m seeing stars after that lesson with the eldritch. I think you were right about her. She can’t speak even an ounce of sense.”

I raised both my hands, “Well, I’m pretty sure she knows what she’s talking about. She just doesn’t know how to get it across. Like, at all.”

Yawm nodded, “Some knowledge is carried on calm seas. She sends her knowledge through a muddy, viscous quagmire. Getting through that is becoming difficult. You didn’t need to worry about that recently as of late, however.

I grinned, “Yeah. I got caught up in the whole fighting thing. It’s a hell of a lot of fun.”

Yawm raised a hand, “I attempted to wait for you to finish at one point, but you trained within the cyclone of abstractions far too long for that. I’m guessing you wanted a challenge from the beetles?”

I scratched the side of my head, “I suppose. I was trying to see if I couldn’t work on my dodging skills. It worked ok.”

Yawm narrowed one eye and widened the other, creating a questioning gaze,

“It didn’t work well then. My guess would be the sheer disparity in speed.”

I shrugged, “It sucks, but yeah. They're not the, er, most powerful monsters.”

Yawm cupped his chin, staring off in the distance, “I suppose they’re not. Though they’re interesting, they lack the dynamism to make truly challenging foes. If it wasn’t for the abstractions, they’d be worse than useless in that regard.”

Yawm looked at me,

“I thought about what you said about variety and blowing off steam as you put it. I think I may implement a bit of that as I find myself plateauing in my progress recently. I think injecting a few alterations in my daily schedule will get me out of this sticking point. What do you think?”

I looked around then pointed at my chest, “What do I think?”

Yawm nodded, “Yes. I’m asking for your counsel.”

I turned a palm to Yawm, “If it were me, I’d try and progress in something else.”

Yawm placed a hand on my shoulder, “I’ll implement that bit of ideology.”

Yawm paced down the hallway, “I may call on you later, if you wouldn’t mind.”

I waved him off, ”It shouldn't be a problem. I have a project I need to grind out. After that, I'm free for a while. Good luck with the cipher, World Eater.”

“Hah, hah, Good fortune for you as well, Harbinger.”

He walked into his study. I walked to my room, sighing with relief. I expected a bit more resistance from him. He might be taking it easy after the contract. Either that or he doesn’t want to put too much pressure on me. I didn’t have time to contemplate exactly what he was thinking.

What I did have time for was learning the cipher. I walked into my room, sitting on the bed. I wrote a thank you message to Amara. After that, I sent a string of messages to Althea. I missed her and having decent meals, among other things.

So I sent her a message about how I couldn’t call her for a long time. I also explained that I had a chance against Yawm and for her not to tell anyone else. Ajax could be trying to fuck us over for all I knew. By then, I was paranoid. I had a good reason to be.

After finishing that, I read through Amara’s messages in detail. The first few mimicked the basics that Yawm discussed with me. As I delved deeper into her advice, I found some incredibly interesting pieces of info.

Amara, the Lost One(Time: Undefined) - Changing a confined space, the dual layered etching, and perspective, those three principles will only get you so far. In order to progress through the more advanced portions of the cipher, you’ll need more than practice.

You need understanding.

That fool thinks he can dissect the cipher just as he’s dissected others. The cipher isn’t a code you can solve. The cipher is a fluid representation of your understanding of your universe. If you lack understanding in a subject, then you cannot write the cipher within that subject.

No matter how many decades that idiot spends writing, he will never progress because of that simple fact. He’s expunged any chance of progression. Why else would I ask for books and information? It is to further my understanding of this material world, thereby enabling me to change it.

You’ll learn the cipher quicker by reading books on a subject then by trying to write that subject down. Yawm is trying to run before he can crawl. Sharpening his knowledge on quantum physics or biology would help his efforts far more than his current method.

Amara, the Lost One(Time: Undefined) - That is where he and I differ. You will differ here as well with time. If you intend on gaining the true meaning of the cipher, then understand the true meaning of this realm. Is it your strength that you wish to enhance? Then read about true strength. Is it your dexterity you want to hone? Then research and understand the meaning of finesse and control. When you aim to write in the cipher, the marking will come to you as you make it.

These messages and the ones that followed had an underlying theme. Amara was bitter towards Yawm. I didn't know why, and maybe I'd ask one day. For now though, I blocked out the messages that went into excruciating detail.

I was a novice, so I focused on the basics. The first step would be mastering the meaning of endurance. I know, big shocker.